1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to subsea oil and gas drilling systems. In particular, embodiments disclosed herein are related to subsea oil and gas drilling systems in high pressure environments.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Subsea drilling for oil and gas typically involves the use of a vessel, which can be, for example, a drill ship or a platform, on the surface of the sea, with a riser extending to near the sea floor. The bottom end of the riser is attached to a lower marine riser package, which contains, among other things, control pods intended to control components of the drilling system near the sea floor. Below the riser is typically positioned a stack, which includes a lower marine riser package and a lower stack. The lower stack includes a blowout preventer (BOP) mounted to a wellhead. The drilling pipe extends from the vessel at the sea surface, through the riser to the bottom of the sea, through the BOP, and through the wellhead into a wellbore to the oil producing formation.
As subsea drilling extends into deeper formations, pressures and temperatures increase. With higher pressures, there are greater potential safety and environmental consequences if a well leaks. For decades, limitations of known drilling technology have prevented the oil and gas industry from drilling wells having pressures greater than approximately 15,000 pounds per square inch, resulting in lost benefits to the countries who own the associated oil reserves, the oil and gas industry, and consumers.